Obsessed

I am OBSESSED with taking pictures with my new lens for my camera! 

I feel like such a professional - even though I am NOT and have a TON to learn! 

 But folks, I have found a hobby that I am just in love with, so I am bound and determined to learn all about photography this winter while I am cooped up in my in-laws basement!

On Friday, with the fantastic fall weather, I took the kids to the Coal Creek Trail and took some adorable pictures...

 Does that not just bring a tear to your eye...?

 So the above picture highlights a funny story...

I love pictures of little feet - and I really wanted a picture of their feet all muddy and one of Eli playing in the little stream...well I found this perfect spot and got Ashtyn all set to run around and have fun while I was shooting Eli...

I finally got Eli situated perfectly in the stream and right at the moment I was probably going to take the best picture EVER, I hear a loud "SPLASH!"

Ashtyn fell in a hole filled with water and mud while running around!

 END. OF. PHOTOSHOOT.

I was totally bummed I missed my perfect shot, but when your poor daughter is crying, wet and very SAD it's time to go home.

It's funny, I was more worried about Eli falling in the water and never thought Ashtyn would have been the one...Oh well, maybe next time!

 After having so much fun with the kids, I wanted to sneak back that evening to get some family shots...

 Ashtyn wanted to do a "funny face" picture...

What can I say - OBSESSED!

Moab

Last weekend Matt and his buddies took their annual trip to Moab for a weekend of 4-wheeling! 

They have been going for about ten years now and the group seems to get smaller and smaller each year. 

The first time going there were about fifteen of us or so - back in the days when us girlfriends - now wives - tagged along with our men!  My first time there was also my last - I am all for camping and love 4-wheeling, but after a weekend of sweating my balls off because of the unbearable heat, having red dirt stuck in between my teeth, no shower for days and watching Stacey (Jason's wife) get her butt set on fire by a firecracker - the trip now remains a GUYS ONLY trip!

Maybe one day when the kids are old enough to go I will make the trip out their again, but for now Matt enjoys the weekend away drinking beer, hanging with his best friend and doing what he loves - riding 4-wheelers!  Every year Matt gets in some kind of trouble - one year he broke some ribs and this year the 4-wheelers came back a little bruised...

 In my mind this looks like a total disaster - but this made Matt's trip getting stuck in mud and then having to pull it out with the wench on Jason's 4-wheeler...

BOYS!  They seriously never grow up!

 On Saturday, Matt texted me this picture...

with this caption..."My pony is sore"

It looks to me like they had a GREAT time, and I am so happy Matt has a hobby he can escape to for some fun.  Now it's time to plan a weekend away for Mommy...

Oh, where should I go?

Pumpkin' Pickin'

 Even though Halloween is not one of my favorite holidays, I do love going to the farm and picking pumpkins.  Well, this year Papa grew his own Pumpkin Patch for his precious grand kids out in the backyard garden,  My dad always grew these huge, massive, bright orange, perfectly round pumpkins for me and my brother when we were little, but ever since moving to this house, his pumpkin patch has never been the same.  But after years of struggles we finally had a good crop of pumpkins this year.

So after we finished Sunday dinner we headed out to the garden to pick our pumpkins...   

 Now, my dad is not known for growing small pumpkins, but Ashtyn only likes small pumpkins - she has no interest in the really big ones.  So it was amazing when the first pumpkin Papa went to cut was the smallest one he has ever grown!  Ashtyn's eyes lit up and she got so excited.  She held onto her "little" pumpkin all throughout the evening. She even slept with it that night...

 Even though they are not the biggest pumpkins, they have to be the prettiest ones I have ever seen.  So perfectly round and orange!

 Eli's favorite part of course was rinsing the dirt off the pumpkins, because water was involved...

 We will be back in a couple weeks to carve them - which is my favorite part!

Thanks to Papa for growing pumpkins for his grandbabies - a tradition they will always remember and love just as I did when I was younger!



Zoo Day

Last Friday we took a trip with Nana to the Zoo. 

 It was a wonderful day - no crowds, perfect weather and my kids were the best behaved and so cute...

Eli spent the first part walking around like a big boy - It's completely amazing how much he has grown up this summer - we were just at the Zoo in early June and he could have cared less what was happening around him, but not on this day.  He would get so EXCITED when he saw any animal and he would point, scream at it, talk to it and try to jump the ledge to go see it!  While he was walking the "streets" of the zoo he would babble, waving his hands around and every once in awhile he would peak over the ropes and say "Whoa!" acting like he just saw the best animal ever...and then continue on his way babbling and waving his hands!  Oh, how he made me and my mom laugh! 

He could have been a tour guide that day - except no one would have understood what he was saying.  He also imitated all the animals which was just SO adorable and humerous - especially the Hippo which got everyone around us even laughing...

 Eli peaking over the ropes and saying 'WHOA!" - wonder what animal he is looking at?

 Ashtyn of course loved her time as the Zoo as always - and ran from one exhibit to the next.  We went to the Penguins first this time, her favorite, since we seem to always miss them and spent plenty of time watching them swim, eat and play...

 The animals at the Zoo were is rare form today - I have never seen such animated animals before...

First, the Bears...

We got there just in time to see them get an "Ice Cream" treat (the orange/pink thing) which Brother Bear hogged to himself and would not share with his sister - sounds like real life!  Sister Bear even tried to sneak in for a piece and got attacked by her brother - it was kind of scary to see how aggressive he got with her.  This led Sister Bear to then pout to the Zoo Keeper and the crowd...

 Sister Bear broke Ashtyn's heart, and Ashtyn started yelling at Brother Bear to share with her...I will say it must have opened up her heart because she shared everything with Eli the rest the day - not something that is typical.  She even spoon fed Eli some of her dip-n-dots...

Then the Giraffes.  Oh the Giraffes were quite feisty on this day - especially Daddy!

He was humping Mama right there, in plain day light in front of the crowd and even his own child.

I am not going to lie it was hysterical!  I have never seen such a BIG crowd at the Giraffes before...

 It was even funnier when Mama Giraffe would whip Daddy with her tail and run away like saying

"Get off.  I am not in the mood!"

and what would Daddy do?  He would run after her and try jumping on her again!

Now, that is real life!  I know it's my story anyways...

I guess all males are the same be it "man" or "animal" they never know when to stop...

 Those pictures still crack me up!

 We ended our day with Dip-n-Dots and Cotton Candy at the New Water Park they have - I love this place!  I wish I could build one in my back yard.  Basically they just made a sandbox and a concrete river that runs through it with little waterfalls - Eli was in heaven!

He played at the waterfalls, climbed the little rocks and crawled through the river for an hour, and I was able to just sit, relax and watch, because there was no way he could hurt himself!

Ashtyn of course loved it too - but I didn't know this attraction was here, so I had no change of clothes for her, so she was soaking wet on the ride home...

This day at the Zoo by far has been one of my favorites.  I don't know if it was because there was no crowds, or the cooler air, or the crazy animals, but it was a wonderful day at the Zoo.

Ashtyn and Eli obviously enjoyed themselves as well...

Thank you Nana for the fun day - We love you!